Joseph Medoro could be sentenced to 10 years in prison for assault, unlawful gun possession.

EVERETT -- A convicted felon who tried to run down a Bothell police officer during a traffic stop won't be steering anything more than a prison library cart in the near future.Joseph Medoro, who has a history of running from the cops, admitted Wednesday that he tried to ram a Bothell police officer with a Pontiac Grand Am. Medoro pleaded guilty to second-degree assault, attempting to elude police and first-degree unlawful gun possession stemming from the July 17 incident.That last charge carries the toughest penalty. Medoro, 32, will face nearly a decade in prison when he is sentenced next month in Snohomish County Superior Court.His attorney David Gehrke told Judge David Kurtz on Wednesday that he plans to provide the court with information about his client's mental health issues, including attention deficit disorder, which may explain some of Medoro's criminal history.Medoro was 15 when earned his first felony conviction. He has since racked up numerous other felonies, primarily for drug and property crimes. He's also had three prior convictions for attempting to elude police.His latest run-in with the law happened when a Bothell police officer stopped the driver of a Pontiac Grand Am for having an expired registration.The officer recognized the driver right away. He said Medoro is someone he'd investigated in the past, according to court papers. At the time of the stop, Medoro also was the subject of a police bulletin out of Kirkland. The bulletin advised officers that Medoro was wanted on felony charges and was believed to be involved in a rash of burglaries.The officer requested backup and parked his patrol car in front of the wanted man's car. The officer pulled his gun and walked around the back of his patrol car. That's when Medoro sped backward. With tires squealing, Medoro drove up and over a curb.He drove at the Bothell cop, Snohomish County deputy prosecutor Laura Twitchell wrote in charging papers.The officer ran for cover and fired one shot at the moving Pontiac. The bullet hit the driver's door, but missed the suspect.Medoro sped off. Pursuing police officers lost sight of the vehicle, but later found it abandoned in a residential neighborhood.A witness told officers that she saw a man in red, carrying a backpack, run from the car and cross the street.A police dog found Medoro hiding in a wooded area a few blocks from the getaway car.The defendant was carrying nearly $4,000, court papers said. Detectives later found more than a half of a pound of heroin, a loaded handgun, meth, marijuana, scales and other drug paraphernalia in the backpack Medoro was seen carrying before his arrest, Twitchell wrote.At the time, Medoro was wanted for failing to report to his community corrections officer.Diana Hefley: 425-339-3463; hefley@heraldnet.com.

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